Who's in and Who's Out? Community Safety Is Everyone's Responsibility
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ISSUE 24 October - December 2012 • PP 14791/11/2012 Who’s In and Who’s Out? Community Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility 2 CiTi-ZEN • ISSUE 24 CiTi-ZEN • ISSUE 24 Ireka Development Management Sdn Bhd Level 18, Wisma Mont’ Kiara No. 1, Jalan Kiara, Mont’ Kiara 50480 Kuala Lumpur T +603.6411.6388 F +603.6411.6383 W i-zen.com.my E [email protected] Greetings to CONTENTS our CiTi-ZEN readers! Who’s in and who’s out? Community safety is 1 everyone’s responsibility Much seems to have happened in the Group since the last issue. Uppermost in the mind is the reminder that Ireka celebrates 45 years of being in the building and Forging ahead with property construction business, and in that time we have helped to meet residential and development - Nilai and commercial property demands in towns, cities and suburban areas in Malaysia and 4 Kia Peng@KLCC projects Vietnam. The One And Only Modern It therefore gives me pleasure to announce three forthcoming developments - Kasia 6 Harbour Mall, Sandakan Greens homes in Nilai (50km outside Kuala Lumpur) and serviced residences and Opens For Business a hotel at the Kia Peng @ KLCC project in downtown Kuala Lumpur (this is a joint venture with Aseana Properties Limited). Further afield, in Ho Chi Minh City, Ireka is “Malaysian Art Boleh” the development manager for an International Hi-Tech Healthcare Park (IHHP), 8 SENI Gallery hosts Tanah Air Vietnam’s first and only premier integrated international healthcare development. Group Exhibition You can read more about these in the magazine. i-ZEN Privileges The feature article on safety and security reminds us to be more aware and vigilant 9 in regards to protection from crime, at a time when there is growing concern with personal safety and the safety of our homes and businesses. Top Malaysian security 10 IREKA CARES advisor, Richard Dimmick offers valuable insights into keeping safe and security issues. That our staff’s efforts have done so much for others continues to delight and humble. IREKA CARES, our CSR programme adopted its third children’s home in July, Rumah 11 i-ZEN Property Market News Kanak-Kanak Angels, and it is exciting that the whole initiative goes from strength to strength. Construction Finally, this being the last issue of 2012, I would like to thank all CiTi-ZEN readers for 12 Update your support in the year and will sign off wishing you and your loved ones good cheer for the Christmas festive season and to continue living life large in 2013. 13 “i” is for Ireka Cheers, Lai Voon Hon President / CEO Ireka Development Management Sdn Bhd Printed on forest-friendly paper. CiTi-ZEN • ISSUE 24 1 Who’s In and Who’s Out? Community Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility Crime has such an impact on our lives whether at a national or personal level. Nationally, it could impact Malaysia’s efforts to attract talent to deal with its skills shortage and personally, the emotional impact of a crime can be long-lasting and even life changing. Community safety is feeling safe and secure inside your own home, at work or when you are out and about. It simply means: • preventing crime and the opportunity for it to happen • creating safe communities for residents and visitors • working together to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime. The many stories we hear and read about the number of crimes from petty theft, bag snatchings to quite violent assaults for our personal belongings are causing people to feel insecure. This follows a particular high-profile crime involving the kidnapping of 12-year old school boy Nayati Moodliar in broad daylight on his way to school in Mont’ Kiara in May, sparking heated debates over public safety. Public safety is the hottest discussion topic around and the strength of social media in spreading news of crime incidences fuels this. There is no doubt that these stories must be taken seriously but we must also realise that areas like Mont’ Kiara, Kuala Lumpur are safe places to live in. The i-ZEN brand, founded on, and driven by six basic principles has Security at its core. This means designing safety and Security consultant and expert, Richard Dimmick from security features into their developments with for example, GDSS, the largest security consultants in Malaysia with panic alarms in the individual apartments that feed directly many years of working with major developers, including to the guard control room and permanent (24/7) CCTV Ireka Corporation Berhad speaks frankly about community cameras placed in the covered public walkway from the safety. Firmly believing that security is fundamentally i-ZEN@Kiara I and i-ZEN@Kiara II condominiums. SENI Mont’ all about real, physical safety and the perception of Kiara hosted a security discussion, with a Q&A session, for all safety, developers are therefore obligated to design i-ZEN residents in May this year to create awareness on public for both factors. In other words, people have to be safe safety with ASP Muniandy, Senior Investigation Officer from and to feel safe. Security is an integral part of the design District Police Headquarter, Brickfields. and landscaping processes so where architects place paths, car parks and how they design lighting should all avoid making life easier for criminals. According to Mr Dimmick, “Criminals will look harder at how to get out of a development than how to get in, so a strong exit procedure is a great deterrent because it dramatically increases the risk of discovery” Most residences now have good security systems and security guards are an important, visible deterrent. However they are only as good as the security procedures deployed – i.e. the procedures for entering and exiting residences; how well trained the guards are to operate sophisticated security systems; how well respected (and treated) the guards are by residents, visitors and the management body and so on. Therefore registering our entries and exits into residences should be considered a mild inconvenience and not a major irritation! 2 CiTi-ZEN • ISSUE 24 Discussion on public safety and security at SENI Mont’ Kiara in May 2012 Mr Dimmick sees most crime in Malaysia as being opportunistic Tips for personal safety: (e.g. car window smashing or bag snatching) and provides a very important message that is all about risk versus return. 1. Make sure you are seen and can be seen. If you can see around If the risk is higher than the return, the criminal will turn his/ you and be seen by others, there is less chance of a crime her attention elsewhere. For example, bag snatching or occurring. smashing car windows are common crime reports so reduce the return by not making our valuables so obviously visible 2. Keep valuables out of sight to reduce attention from the whether when walking around or in the car – reduce the criminals. return by not offering the criminal any reason. Mr Dimmick also says, “crime is not random, it is targeted so don’t present 3. Plan withdrawing money from ATM machines before starting them with opportunity. Always think crime prevention.” to shop rather than at the end of a shopping trip because the thief will soon tire of following you around a mall but Mont’ Kiara is a wonderful place to live in and it is as safe as you will provide rich pickings at the end of a shopping trip, any other district in Kuala Lumpur. However, as with any where walking to the car or taxi. else, it makes sense to take a few practical precautions to reduce any risk of becoming a victim of crime. These can 4. Stay alert – If you are chatting on your mobile phone or keep you safe, giving you the confidence to get out and wearing a personal stereo, you will not hear potential danger about. approaching. 5. Plan ahead. Before you go out, think about how you are going to get home. 6. In taxis, sit in the back of the car and be careful not to give out any personal details to or in front of the driver. Trust your instincts – If you are at all worried, ask the taxi driver to stop in a busy area and get out of the car. If the driver refuses to stop, use a mobile (if you have one) to call the police and alert other drivers and pedestrians by waving or calling out the window. 7. If you are drinking alcohol, be careful not to let it affect your judgment or your ability to take care of yourself. Know your limit. Stay with your friends – or at least always make sure that someone you trust knows where you are and who you are with at all times. CiTi-ZEN • ISSUE 24 3 Tips for home owners : 1. Inform the Management Office or security manager 5. Get to know your neighbours. They are usually the first before leaving your property unoccupied, especially ones to notice when something does not “look right” for long periods. at your home. Look out for each other. 2. Remove temptation and where possible, try to keep 6. When travelling, make sure there is someone to check valuables out of sight from windows. Most crimes are on your home to collect mail and tell-tale signs that you opportunistic so if the criminal cannot see anything are away. Put a timer on some lights so that the lights worth taking they normally look for another opportunity. come on a few times at night to give the impression that you are home.